christopher price

Star-dudded: Why a relatively anonymous draft class is good for Patriots

INDIANAPOLIS -- It’s never easy to predict who the Patriots will target in late April every year, but this time around, the wide-open nature of this year’s draft class makes the task impossible.

In years past, there have been singular names who have emerged as the defining members of the draft. They’re usually easily identifiable one-named, elite players -- Luck! Suh! RG3! -- who are relatively easy to deconstruct as potentially impactful individuals across the NFL landscape, no matter where they might end up.

But in 2013, there’s a distinct lack of star power and no consensus No. 1, and as a result, this class has a noticeably lower Q rating that previous groups. (The biggest name that jumps out to casual fans is Manti Te’o, a linebacker who is now just as famous for off-field issues as he his for his on-field contributions.)

This class features depth, to be sure, with both defensive and offensive line among the more loaded positions. On one side of the ball, there’s tackles Luke Joeckel, Eric Fisher and Lane Johnson, as well as guard Chance Warmack. On the other, there are defensive linemen Star Lotulelei and Shariff Floyd. While there are a few skill position players who have managed to catch the eye over the course of the first few days of the combine -- including wide receiver Tavon Austin -- what has ultimately been reinforced thus far is that this year’s draft isn’t about star power. Instead, it’s a celebration of blue-collar grunts.

“If I project the top 10 -- and not for draft purposes, just the seven best players I’ve seen -- four of them are offensive linemen and three of them are defensive linemen,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock told reporters Sunday at the combine. “I know it pisses all of you off because it’s not very sexy, but that’s the way it is.”

That isn’t great for a team like the Chiefs, who hold the first overall pick and already have a decent offensive line (assuming they re-sign Branden Albert) but could use a quarterback in the worst way. The Jags (at No. 2) and the Raiders (at No. 3) are also victims of bad timing. However, it could ultimately benefit a team like the Patriots. Whether you are talking about defensive back, defensive tackle or wide receiver, New England -- who has its first pick at No. 29 -- appear to be well-positioned to find someone who could fill a need, at least on the surface, because of the available depth at those spots.

“I’ve said several times -- if you’re a playoff team this year, you’re laughing,” Mayock said. “There is so much depth to this [draft] that if you’re drafting [between] 20-30, it’s not a whole lot different than the fifth or sixth pick. So for me, if you’re a playoff team, you’re sitting back and going, ‘This is pretty good.’

“If you’re a top 10 team, look at the difference. It’s just so stark, the difference between Ryan Grigson and [the Colts] a year ago as a first-time GM with a head coach, and he has Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck to choose from,” Mayock added. “Now, in Kansas City Andy Reid and John Dorsey -- new coach, new GM -- there is not a quarterback in sight, probably, at that point. So it’s a whole different level at the top end and the bottom end this year.”

The secondary figures to be addressed this offseason in one way or another, and if Bill Belichick makes the 2013 draft his latest attempt at developing young defensive backs, he should have options. There’s Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes, a physical player with good size for the position at 6-feet and 210 pounds. Should they go for safety help, the rangy and hard-hitting Matt Elam should be there. Those are just a couple options, but there are enough of them to suggest the Pats won’t need to move up to get their man.

Over the last year-plus, Elam has been able to connect with several former Gators who current play for the Patriots, leaning on them for advice when it comes to how to best make the transition from college to the NFL.

“When they come back I always talk to them about that,” Elam said of players like Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham. “They tell me it’s a different league, bigger and tougher guys, but that’s expected. That’s why I go out to work.”

They do play a lot of zone, not too much press,” Rhodes said of his experience with the Patriots defense. “But I believe I’m a very versatile player. I can play off, on.”

“New England has corner and safety potential issues that they have to address, and when you look at [Rhodes], he’s a big corner that might be a safety,” Mayock said. “Bill Belichick values versatility. He’s a big, strong, tough kid. Like most of the corners in this year’s class, I don’t know if he’s going to run well or not.”

To that point, the defensive backs will run on Tuesday, and Mayock said we’d know a lot more about them then.

“Tuesday afternoon is a big deal for a lot of the top-rated corners because most of them are what college coaches call boundary corners; they play into the boundary,” Mayock said. “Typically, a boundary corner in college football is speed-deficient but smart, tough and instinctive. I need to find out, as does the whole league, [Johnthan] Banks, [Rhodes], [Desmond] Truant -- how fast are these guys? We don’t know yet.”

Flannery joins Mut to break down the Isaiah Thomas trade to Boston and what it means for the Celtics this season and in the future. Paul also chats with Mut about the other deals that happened at the NBA's trading deadline

In the second of Sunday Skate, DJ and Joe discuss the approaching NHL trade deadline and what the B's will do. They get into the Boychuk move at the beginning of the season and Boychuk's brother venting on Twitter this morning about complaining B's fans. There is more discussion on the 3rd and 4th lines, their playoff chances and then they are joined by ESPN's Scott Burnside.

Another edition of Sunday Skate is upon us and DJ and Joe get into the B's big win over Arizona last night and the improvement of Ryan Spooner. They get into the Blackhawks giving up a 1st round pick for C Antoine Vermette - someone the B's could certainly use but weren't willing to give up the steep price of a 1st rounder. DJ and Joe also get into Claude's willingness to switch up lines as well as the performance of the 3rd and 4th lines. Finally, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman sits down with the boys.

In today's Three For All, Tim talks about Sharknado 3, Christian talks about Lakers Guard Nick Young's beef with SportsCenter Anchor Robert Flores, and Lou talks about a high school basketball team that was disqualified from the playoffs for wearing breast cancer awareness jerseys.

With free agency looming, Adam Schefter, on Sportscenter, said that he thinks Darrelle Revis will NOT be re-signed by the Patriots and that they will cut him instead, making him the most coveted free agent on the market.